Sick Day
by Cadet Eyes
Summary: Poor Jeff is sick. So Nick tries to take care of him. Niff friendship fic that turned into Beginning-of-Niff fic
1. Chapter 1

This is a little Niff fic that wasn't supposed to be a Niff fic, but ended up as a Maybe-begining-of-Niff-if-you-read-it-like-that Niff fic. R&R please?

Warnings: Only a head-canon where Nick and Jeff aren't best friends

Disclaimer: *sobs* Why can't I own them?

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><p>Nick didn't want to be here, standing in front of the door of his competition. It wasn't even like him and Jeff were good friends. They got along well enough, and talked a little at Warbler practice. They never really interacted without other people around, and if they were both trying out for a solo, they didn't at all. Nick considered it sort-of-friendly competition. So standing at the door to Jeff's dorm after said boy had missed Warbler practice was something Nick never expected himself to be doing. He didn't even know what he would find. Was Jeff in there, was he sick? Maybe he was dead.<p>

Dead, Nick? Really? Stop being silly and get this over with.

A sneeze from inside the room made Nick flinch and take a step back. He turned to leave; he didn't want to get sick too, but the miserable groan that followed stopped him. He returned to the door with a grimace and raised his hand to knock.

"I'm going to regret this," Nick said to himself, then knocked softly three times. "Jeff? It's Nick."

"Whuddya want?" Was Jeff's muffled and slightly nasally reply.

"Can I come in?" Nick called through the door. There was a slight pause before Nick heard the other boy groan. A moment later, the door opened to reveal a glasses-clad and decidedly miserable looking Jeff.

"You look like crap!" Nick said before he could stop himself. But it was true. Nick had only seen the Warbler in his Dalton uniform, perfectly groomed and dapper looking, just as the dress code called for them to be. Now tho, he was wearing over-sized pajamas and his blonde hair was sticking up in all different directions.

"Please tell me you didn't make me get out of bed to tell me what I already knew." He even sounded miserable. Nick floundered for a second; he had no idea what he was doing, before replying.

"No. I, um, I came to check on you." It came out as more of a question than a statement, making Nick feel like an idiot.

"Why?" Jeff asked as he retuned to his bed. Nick followed him into the room, but stopped just inside the door. This being the first time in this room, he instinctively took in the surroundings, and his first thought was 'How can he live like this?'

Simply put, the room was a mess. It seemed that most of Jeff's clothes were on the bed of the roommate that Jeff somehow lucked out of getting, but somehow his blazer was hanging inside out from the closet door, and his tie was wrapped around the curtain rod. Books and papers covered the small desk and spilled onto the floor, where there was a trail of used tissues leading to the garbage from when Jeff obviously tried to toss them in. Very few actually made it.

Nick flinched out of his observations when Jeff sneezed again, and he saw the blonde boy looking at him expectantly.

"You weren't in school, or at Warbler practice, and today was audition day, and you've never missed an audition day," Nick rambled quickly. He was so out of his element right now, and wanted to get this done was a fast as possible. He flinched for a third time and frowned when Jeff sneezed again, this one sounding incredibly painful.

"Have you taken medicine or something?" Nick asked. Jeff sniffed and shook his head. "Why not?"

"Don't have any."

"Why didn't you go get some?" The only response was a half-hearted glare that looked more adorable than intimidating. "Right, stupid question. Wait here, I'll be right back." As Nick left to go to his room he heard Jeff mumble "Where the hell do you think I'm going to go?" He quickly grabbed cold medicine, water, and tissues from his room and returned to Jeff's in less then two minutes.

In the time he was gone, Jeff had curled up into a ball on his bed and was already half asleep. Nick almost decided to leave him be and let him sleep, but a pathetic sniffle changed his mind. Nick sat near the head of the bed and poked Jeff in the shoulder.

"C'mon dude. Up." Nicked poked him again when Jeff mumbled at him to go away. "I brought more tissues and drugs." Jeff sat up with a reluctant sigh, keeping his eyes closed while Nick shoved the pills and tissues into his hand.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" Jeff asked once he was medicated. Not waiting for an answer, he flopped back towards his pillows before Nick could move out of the way. He landed on him, forcing the brunette to have to lay down too.

"What the hell, dude?" Nick yelped as he tried unsuccessfully to sit up.

"Sorry."

"Get off me!"

"But you're comfy," Jeff whined pitifully. Nick looked down at the half asleep boy. He felt extremely awkward having the blond warbler that he barely knew sleeping on him, but he was also finding it hard to deny him anything when he looked so miserable.

"Fine," Nick sighed. "But if I get sick, I'm blaming you." The only response was a happy sigh as Jeff snuggled closer to him. Nick forced himself to relax and fall asleep, knowing he wasn't going anywhere soon. He just hoped he wouldn't get sick.

Nick could hardly say he was surprised when he woke up with a sneeze a few hours later.

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><p>I've always seem to think of Jeff as a clingy sick boy, therefore you get Clingy!Sick!Jeff!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh hi there. I really wasn't planning on writing a second chapter to this. Honestly I wasn't. Mostly because I really wanted it to stay as a friendship fic. But then this chapter came, and I tried really hard to keep it non-ship... but that didn't really work. Niff is too adorable. ****Also, please read the A/N at the bottom, I'm gonna need some help**

**HOW AMAZING IS CURT MEGA SINGING UPTOWN GIRL THO? IT'S JUST ASDFGHJKL **

**Anyway. On to the fic**

**Disclaimer: If I owned, Blaine would be a senior at Dalton, Niff would be cannon, and The Warblers would be the main characters.**

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><p>Nick woke the next morning feeling like crap. He ached all over, and he was positive he caught a cold. He opened his scratchy eyes with a groan...<p>

... And promptly shut them against the blinding light spilling in from the open window. He threw an arm over his eyes to further block the sun, idly wondering why Thad opened it this early in the first place.

'He should know better.'

"Morning, sunshine!" came a cheery voice from the other side of the room, a voice that could never belong to Nick's roommate. He would never be that cheery. Ever. He cracked his eyes open and realized that the sun was so blinding was because it was being reflected off the blonde hair of Jeff, who was sitting cross-legged on the other bed, computer in his lap.

"Whuddya doin' in my room?" Nick mumbled, sitting up.

"Other way around, actually." At Nicks confused glance, Jeff chuckled and added, "You're in my room, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Nick replied with a yawn and a sniffle. "I knew you'd get me sick."

"Not possible. I wasn't sick."

"Then explain yesterday," Nick challenged.

"I have allergies. Not contagious in the least," Jeff smiled.

"Then why do I feel sick?" Nick asked as he looked around the room. He saw that there was no trace of the state of chaos the room was in the night before. The desk was neat, the garbage was empty, and the pieces of Jeff's uniform that were tossed about yesterday was put away.

"Maybe you're just weird," Jeff chuckled, turning his attention back to his computer. There was a few minutes of silence after that, during which Nick contemplated the pros and cons of getting out of Jeff's bed.

"I'm not gay, you know," Nick said suddenly, surprising both Jeff and himself. Jeff looked at him in confusion with his head tilted slightly, giving him a slightly puppy-like look.

"Okay," Jeff replied slowly. "And that's relevant, how exactly?"

"Well, you- um- you fell asleep on me last night, and I didn't want you to- to get the wrong impression or anything," Nick stuttered. He could feel his ears turning red in embarrassment. Jeff knew the other boy was so far out of his depth at the moment, but he couldn't help but find a little amusement at his discomfort.

"I get clingy when I'm sick," Jeff explained. "You were the poor, unfortunate soul that was here. I honestly probably would've cuddled with Voldemort if he was the one who walked through the door."

"Oh!" Nick smiled, immediately more relaxed. Silence spread between the two, and Nick couldn't help but think about how adorable Jeff looked the night before. That lead to more thoughts about Jeff, and Nick realized that a lot of what the blonde did could be classified as adorable. His unnaturally blonde hair, his laugh, his smile, The way he could wear sweater vests and still look good, which in itself was a skill to be admired. The only thing the Warbler did that wasn't adorable was his dancing. That was downright hot!

'Woah, Nick. Hot? Really? Since when did you find any guy adorable or hot?'

"I'm not gay," Nick mumbled, not realizing he said it out loud. He also didn't realize that Jeff was now standing right next to him.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?" Jeff whispered in Nick's ear, causing the brunette to jump.

"N-no one. I'm confident in my sexuality!" Nick replied, cursing his nervous stutter. Smirking, Jeff brought his hand under the other boys chin to hold him in place, leaning down slowly until he pressed his lips to Nicks.

"Sure you are," Jeff whispered once they broke apart. There was no answer, just a dazed stare. Jeff smirked again and left the room, saying nothing.

A few minutes later, Nick snapped out of his daze with a shake of his head.

"Wait. What?"

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><p><strong>There it is. Chapter two! And yes, I did have to throw in an adorable Niff kiss. What kind of store would this be if there wasn't one?<strong>

**Anyway, here's where I need your help. I want to continue this a little more, but I don't know how. So give me idea's. What do you want to see from this story? Where do you want it to go? Please let me know and I'll try to figure it out from there. Thanks for reading!**

**Cadet Eyes**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Ummm Hi there. Would you believe me if I said that I've had this written since about two days after I posted the last chapter? Well, I have... sorry... :/Thank you guys for the suggestions! I've decided to take AngelsFly36's and Andromeda Rae Borealis's ideas and got asshat Jeff and confrontational Nick! So here you go!**

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><p>That afternoon's Warbler practice was awkward to say the least.<p>

Nick had sat in Jeff's room for a good hour after said boy left, trying to figure out what 'The Event' meant, while simultaneously trying to avoid thinking about it entirely. Later, when he finally returned to his own room, Thad started to question him non-stop about his whereabouts the previous night. It took half the day, and one very well woven lie about falling asleep in the library before Nick could even get Thad to stop asking, but every so often, Nick would catch Thad staring at him intently, like he was trying to see into Nicks head to see what really happened.

It was a small victory when Nick was able to avoid Jeff all day, but since it was the weekend, it really wasn't that hard. Unfortunately, the council decided to hold an extra long rehearsal that afternoon, stating that they needed all the practice they could get for Sectionals. Nick was convinced it was just to assert their authority and make the rest of them miserable.

Surprisingly, though, none of this was what bothered Nick. What irked him was during practice, while Nick tried his best to appear normal, Jeff was singing and dancing and smiling and pulling off the 'not bothered' facade expertly. Basically, he was acting like that morning never happened.

'Like he didn't freaking kiss me!" Nick thought angrily.

He spent most of practice watching Jeff, trying to figure out 'Why?' Why did Jeff randomly kiss him? Why was he acting like nothing happened?

As far as Nick knew, Jeff wasn't gay. He had heard him talk about various girls he liked before, but that could mean nothing. It was possible that the blonde was Bi, Nick supposed, but then why would he act like it didn't happened? Almost like he was ashamed?

'Unless no one knows.'

That could be it! Maybe Jeff was keeping quiet about it, and didn't want anyone to know. And if that was true, then Nick certainly wasn't going to be the one to out him. 'But that's silly!' Nick thought. Dalton had become a sort of safe haven for boys being bullied in their public schools, so most of the boys there were at least bi-curious, and no one treats them any different. Hell, even the Warblers lead soloist, Blaine, was openly gay, and he was one of the most popular boys in school. So they then would Jeff be worried about keeping his secret?

"Warbler Nick!" Was called, banging his gavel on the table he sat behind. Said Warbler jumped and snapped his head around to look at Wes. "Please stop leering at Warbler Jeff and pay attention."

Nick saw Jeff look at him with a seemingly innocent expression.

'That's it!' Nick thought. 'I am finding out what the hell is going on. Now!'

He jumped again when Wes banged his gavel, trying to restore order while glaring pointedly at Nick.

'Well, after practice.' He thought, sinking into his chair.

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><p><strong>So, I know this chapter is really short, it was suppused to have a second part, but I decided to make that a different chapter. On the plus side, it's already written! So it'll be up by the weekend, I promise. Also, in between writing this chapter and the next, I discovered that some people find my writting style annoying (I.E using distinctive descriptions, and not constantly writing their names so the chapter doesn't come out as "Nick said blah blah lah Jeff said blah blah Nick said. He he he he) The next chapter is written like that. If you guys could let me know what you prefer reading (after I post the next part, of course)<strong>

**~Cadet Eyes**


	4. Chapter 4

**You guys didn't think I meant last weekend, did you? **

**I'm not even going to make an excuse for this. I'm sorry. I need to stop making deadlines for myself. **

**Did everyone see what TV Guide said about Curt and Uptown Girl? How completely rude was that? (If any of you didn't see it, here's the link http: / / www . tvguide . com / special / best-of-year-2011 / PhotoGallery / Best-Year-Worst-1039971#1039973) (Take out the spaces)**

**It's one thing to bash a performance. It's something completely different to bash the performer. Curt doesn't deserve that, he was amazing. If they really wanted to criticize a performance, why not Finn's very awkward rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? That was wrong on about 20 levels. **

**Okay, I'm sorry, I'm done. Here's the chapter. **

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><p>After rehersal ended, Nick made sure he and Jeff were the last two in Warbler Hall. Nick figured that corning Jeff, not allowing him to escape, was the best way to get him to talk about "The Event." Jeff was currently in the process of locating his homework, which had gotten tossed around in The Great Paper Storm, Blaine's favorite activity while singing. Nick was positive Jeff didn't know he was there.<p>

'Now or never,' Nick thought, getting ready to make his presence known.

"Something I can help you with Nick?" Jeff asked suddenly, causing Nick to choke around a breath of air in surprise.

"W-we need to talk." Nick cursed his stutter again. The conversation had barely started and it was already going against his plan.

"What about?" Jeff asked while turning to face Nick, all his papers finally collected. "

You know what!" It came out a little harsher then Nick intended it to, but he really couldn't bring himself to care. He was already sick of Jeff acting like nothing had happened, with his wide brown eyes and innocent expression that almost convinced Nick himself that nothing happened.

Nick shook his head slightly, brining himself back to the present. He was on a mission and would not get distracted by anything. Not even how adorable Jeff looked in his uniform.

With an awkward cough, Nick turned away so that he wasn't looking at Jeff anymore. This was more difficult then he though. After a moment of silence, Nick heard Jeff let out a quiet, faked 'Oh!' of realization.

"You're talking about what happened earlier, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Nick snapped, turning back to face Jeff. He lost his steam when he saw the meek look Jeff was giving him. But it came back double at Jeff's next words.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Jeff mumbled.

"Not a big deal?" Nick repeated. "Jeff, you kissed me! Then you walked away! And now you're acting all innocent and it's not really helping the fact that I'm trying to figure out why the hell you did it!"

Nick noticed that as his rant continued and his voice got louder, a devious smirk was slowly growing of Jeff's face.

"Then it did exactly what I wanted it to," Jeff replied, still smirking.

"What?" Jeff couldn't help but laugh as Nick's voice cracked on that one word.

"I kissed you to make you think," Jeff explained. "Which, clearly, you've been doing all day. I didn't kiss you because I like you."

"What?" Nick said again. "Think about what?"

"About yourself!" Jeff exclaimed with a sigh at the look of confusion that Nick gave him. "You are so adamant that you are straight, like being gay, or even bi, is such a bad thing!"

Nick started to reply, but Jeff raised his had to silence him. "Do not say that you don't have a problem with it, because you do. Not in other people, but in yourself. You've never considered the possibility that you might like guys, but now that's all you can think about."

"So, what you're saying is that you were just trying to make me question myself?"

"Pretty much."

"Make me rethink everything I thought I new about myself, and kill any confidence I might have, just to prove a point?"

"Well, not to that extent..."

"In other words, you were just being an Ass-Hat!"

"Basically, yeah."

Nick was fuming. How dare he! Jeff had no right to do that! Nick wasn't a violent person, but at the moment, he wanted nothing more then to punch that smirk right off Jeff's prefect face.

"That's a pretty douche think to think, that you're that good of a kisser that you'd make me question my sexuality," Nick shot at Jeff. He was willing to try anything to put a dent in Jeff's armor.

"Apparently, I am," Jeff said, getting up to leave.

"You are such an Ass-Hat!" Nick yelled.

"So you said." Jeff, having to walk passed Nick to leave, stopped and gave Nick an exaggerated kiss on the cheek. "See you around Nicky." And with that, Jeff was gone, smirk still firmly in place.

"Pretentious Ass-Hat."

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><p><strong>Yay ass-hat Jeff. I actually kinda like ass-hat Jeff. Or maybe I just like the work ass-hat... You know, I actually had to look up the color of Riker's eyes to get it right. It gave me an excuse to look at pictures of Riker, and I could say it was for research! <strong>

**Okay. Yeah. There will be one, maybe two more chapters, but it might be a while before they go up. I'm still in the process of writting the next one, and I'm only two sentances in. I'm a little stuck. Whoops. **

**So, do you have a tumblr? I have a tumblr! It's cadeteyes . tumblr. com. Follow me if you would like. **

**~Cadet Eyes**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'M SO SORRY! I feel like a horrible person right now! I can't even say life has been busy, because my hours at work just got cut, but I am sorry. **

**No need to yell at me tho, CheekyBrunette already did that (and motivated me to get this chapter written at the same time. So thank you for that ^_^) . And Klainefan4likeever basically guessed where this story is going... so no peaking at that comment! No spoilers!**

**Oh, and I'm going to quickly express my displeasure at the Warblers actions during the Michael episode. ASDFGHJKL WHAT THE HECK? BLAINE IS YOUR FRIEND! WHY WOULD YOU LET THAT CRIMINAL CHIPMUNK INFLUENCE YOU? ASDFGHJKL!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

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><p>To say that Jeff was annoyed was an understatement. He saw the angry glares that Nick kept shooting his way ever since the event. On more then one occasion, he was nearly positive that Nick was trying to will his head to explode.<p>

Don't for a moment think that Jeff was annoyed at Nick, though. He was annoyed with himself. Annoyed that he could screw up so spectacularly.

You see, the kiss wasn't meant as a "Learning experience." At least, not in the way Jeff played it off to be, and certainly not for Nick's benefit.

From the day Jeff transferred to Dalton, he was... Intrigued? Yes, intrigued was a good word. Jeff was intrigued with Nick. He wasn't sure what it was about him exactly, or why he found it so fascinating, since he knew next to nothing about Nick, but it didn't really matter anyway.

Nick and Jeff were from different groups of friends, and never really interacted outside of their few shared classes or Warbler practice. Even there, though, they were usually competing against each other for a solo, so "friendly conversation: was usually the last thing on their minds.

That wasn't going to stop Jeff, though. Solo auditions for regionals were coming up in a few days, and Jeff had already decided to not try this time to eliminate the competitive barrier. That, and he hardly felt the need to audition a sixth time when he knew the solo would more then likely go to Blaine. So he would sit back and watch Nick audition, then after, compliment him on his singing, and either congratulate him on a win, or express his regret on his loss. Either way, it seemed like a good enough ice breaker.

But of course, Jeff's luck dictates that nothing shall go according to plan, and he woke up the morning of auditions to unnaturally high pollen levels, and a nasty sneezing fit. He was actually glad he decided to back out beforehand; Jeff didn't think he should be singing when he sounded like a frog. He could deal with that, though. All he had to do was get through class, then rehearsal, and he could finally talk with Nick.

But, again, there was that luck issue, and in the first class of the day a particularly violent sneezing fit got him sent to the nurse, then back to his dorm with the non-negotiable order of staying in bed for the rest of the day.

And that is Jeff's side of how he woke up next to Nick the next morning, having used him as a pillow after Nick tried to take care of him. Jeff was honestly surprised he did that; he didn't think Nick would even realize he wasn't around, let alone check on him. But there he was, asleep in Jeff's ed, looking positively adorable.

But anyway, the kiss. It was a moment of 'What the hell?' that made Jeff take the chance. He had been wondering what it would be like to kiss Nick for quite a while. Unfortunately, Jeff knew the moment it started that he screwed up. He could tell by Nick's lack of response, good or bad, that he should not be doing that right then, He barely said a word after they broke apart, and quickly left the room. Jeff didn't think it would've mattered if he said any thing or not. Nick looked way too shocked for words to register in his head.

Now for the hard part. The Aftermath.

Jeff wasn't sure how to go about explaining his actions to a man who he never said more then five words to, let alone knowing what team he played for. He couldn't exactly say that he did it because he liked Nick. Jeff himself wasn't even sure of that at the time. (He didn't realize till a little later that he did actually like Nick like that)

The decision was made for him that afternoon when he saw Nick again. Nick looked thee parts confused and six parts angry, and all 9 parts were aimed at Jeff. So when Nick confronted him, he played the douchbag card, and pretended that the kiss wasn't sort of nice. It killed him to see the look of hurt on Nick's face, but Jeff figured Nick would really kill him if he knew the truth.

So after a week of those glares, and looks from Thad that he couldn't quite place, he made a new decision. He couldn't go on playing mean with Nick, that wasn't who he was. So one day, he decided to confront Nick himself and tell him the truth, even if it killed him.

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><p><strong>I did it! asdfghjkl! Just don't expect the next chapter anytime soon. It's gonna take a while to write...<strong>

**Hey, here's my tumblr: http : / CadetEyes. tumblr. com Come talk to me! (take out the spaces) I should've mentioned last chapter that i don't do follow for follow on tumblr, so if anyone followed me expecting that, and i didn't follow back, I'm sorry. I do look at every blog that follows me tho)**

**Thank you for reading ^_^**

**~Cadet Eyes**


	6. Chapter 6

Alright everyone, say it with me now:

**Cadet Eyes is a terrible person**

Good job! I know I'm horrible, I am so very sorry. I hate when stories get left unfinished, and that's exactly what I did. BUT FEAR NOT! Here is the last chapter. Then you all can stop hating me right?

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><p>Nick was quite proud of himself. He had been able to successfully avoid Jeff all week. Doing so in class was easy; They were always seated in alphabetical order, so Nick Duval was far away from Jeff Sterling, and closer to the door, making quick getaways easy. Avoiding him in Warbler practice was a little more difficult. The Warblers were made up of only fifteen boys, and they were all friends, but as long as Jeff stuck to using tables and windowsills as chairs, Nick was able to easily choose a couch that faced away from him.<p>

Currently, though, Nick was hiding in the Romance section of the school library. During his first few weeks at Dalton, Nick explored a lot, and had found many little hiding spots that he utilized on a regular basis. He was a little concerned as to why an all boys high school library had a romance section, but upon seeing it empty and everything being covered in dust, he figured no one actually went there, and found it to be a good quiet thinking place.

And that was exactly what he was using it for now.

The topic of his thoughts, while not exactly private, since it seemed everyone knew, was not something he was ready to openly admit to. Nick could avoid Jeff like a pro in person, but it seemed that he was the only thing Nick wanted to think about. The more Nick thought about him, the more he realized that even tho he played it off like he was mad about the kiss, he was more mad at how Jeff acted after. And, while he was being honest with himself, Nick had actually sort of enjoyed it, and if Jeff were inclined to kiss him again, Nick definitely would not be opposed to the idea. You could say that Nick possibly, maybe, sort of had small, crush like feelings for Jeff.

Okay, yes fine. Nick liked Jeff. Nick Duval had a crush on Jeff Sterling. It's been said. Happy now?

Nick wondered, though, what did that make him? He knew he wasn't gay, me most certainly still liked girls. Sure, the technical term was bisexual, but Nick felt strange classifying himself as that. Nick didn't see other guys and imagine what life could be like with them, like he did with girls. The only guy Nick had ever thought that about was Jeff. So he was what then? Jeff-sexual?

Yeah, okay, Jeff-sexual sounded good.

"I need to talk to him. This needs to stop," Nick said. He always thought better when he spoke aloud, and he felt comfortable doing that here, since he was sure no one was around to hear him. Or so he thought.

"What needs to stop?" A voice said from behind a shelf. A moment later, Jeff himself came into view. Nick glared at him. Of course Jeff of all people would find this place. Of course Jeff of all people would hear Nick talking to himself. Of course it had to be while Nick was talking about Jeff.

"What are you doing here?" Nick asked. He could hear the ice in his own voice, and judging by Jeff's apprehensive look, he could as well. Nick had to give him credit though, because after the initial reaction, Jeff continued like nothing was wrong.

"Looking for you, actually. Thad told me you might be here," Jeff explained. He pointed to the empty armchair across from Nick, one eyebrow raised in silent question. Jeff didn't want to be sent away, but he didn't want to test his boundaries either. He figured the way to be safe was to keep small talk, and his sass, to a minimum so that Nick wouldn't get annoyed at him before he said what he came here to say.

Nick gave a slight nod to Jeff's quirked eyebrow, but he was still glaring at him like he was trying to will Jeff's head to explode. Jeff sat with a sigh and hugged his legs to himself to rest his chin on his knees.

"Still pissed at me, huh?" Jeff asked in a way that one might ask about the weather.

"Why were you looking for me?" Nick asked, trying very hard to keep glaring at Jeff. Seeing him sitting there looking like a sad puppy made it very hard for Nick to continue being angry.

"I have a confession to make."

Nick couldn't help the mumbled "This outta be good" that escaped before he even thought to say anything.

"Look, I'm trying to be serious here, and this has kind of taken me all week to build up the courage to own up to this, so can you please stop with the snark for maybe two minutes?" Jeff asked, and, oh there was that kicked puppy look again. Nick shifted in his chair uncomfortably and looked away for the first time since he showed up.

"Right. Sorry. Continue."

"Thank you!" Jeff let out a sigh, taking a moment to compose himself. This was going to be hard; Jeff had never done something like this before, and he really didn't want to fuck it up.

"Is this about the kiss?" Nick asked. He already knew it was, since the only interaction the two ever had was about the kiss, but watching Jeff mentally fighting with himself was almost painful.

"Yeah, it is," Jeff admitted. "Specifically the reasons behind it.

"You told me it was so that I would think about my sexuality, and learn a few things about myself."

"Yes, well, that's what I said. It wasn't what I meant."

"Really?" Nick asked sarcastically. This time it was Jeff who glared.

"Yes! Well, kind of. You see, it ended up being an extension to my original reasons behind kissing you," as Jeff talked, he slowly sank down into his chair, so by the end, all Nick could see behind Jeff's knees were his eyes, which looked slightly afraid, and his hair, which Nick was now realizing was sticking up at slightly weird angles, like Jeff had been running his hands through it all day.

After waiting a minute for Jeff to continue, Nick realized he wasn't going to get anything else from Jeff until Nick responded. Nick ran a frustrated hand through his own hair, and wondered how a boy who could act so sure of himself all the time be hiding behind his knees like a scared child when faced with the truth.

"And your reasons were?" Nick prompted. Surprisingly enough, he didn't like seeing Jeff like this. He preferred the self-assured dancer he normally was.

Jeff hid his face in his arms and mumbled something that Nick didn't quite catch.

"I'm sorry, what?" Another mumble. Nick was starting to get annoyed. "Jeff, I can't understand you if you keep talking to your knees. What did you say?"

"I said I like you!" Jeff said, rather loudly. Nick just sat there blinking at him for a few moments, completely silent. Jeff whimpered and hid his face again. "Please say something."

"I... You... What?" Nick stuttered. His brain couldn't process that information right now. That was the exact opposite of what he was expecting.

"I like you. Like, I really like you," Jeff confessed. Now that he was actually saying it, he was finding it easier to look at Nick, so he could see the confusion written plainly on his face.

"Why though? I'm nothing special." That sentence got Jeff to finally let go of his legs and look Nick in the eye.

"You're kidding, right? You're amazing!" Jeff smiled at the blush he could see creeping up Nick's neck. "I've always kind of thought you were amazing."

"Why didn't you say something, then?" Nick asked.

"I don't know. Nerves, I guess. I was going to though! Last week, after auditions. I had it all planned out, but then I got sick and it all went to hell. So when you showed up, I couldn't let that opportunity pass, which is why I kissed you. But you were so uncomfortable with it that my brain kind of spazzed and spouted the first line of bullshit that popped into my head."

Jeff was adorable when he babbled like this, Nick decided.

"And now I feel like an idiot and you're staring at me like I have five heads." Jeff wrapped his arms around his legs again and whimpered. "Please stop looking at me like that."

Nick hardly realized that he was staring at Jeff with wide eyes, his mouth hung open. What he did realize that Jeff looked close to tears, which was not what Nick wanted to see today, or ever, from him.

"Sorry. Sorry. It's just..." Nick paused and smiled. Here goes everything.

"You really like me?" Nick stood up from his chair when Jeff nodded and walked the short distance separating them.

"So, if I were to, say, kiss you again, you wouldn't be opposed to it?" By now, Nick was leaning over Jeff with both hands holding the arm rests so he couldn't escape.

Jeff, who was slowly turning bright red, squeaked out a quiet "No."

"Good." Nick closed the remaining distance, pressing his lips to Jeff's. He felt Jeff smile slightly before deepening the kiss and putting his hand on the back of Nick's neck to pull him closer.

They broke apart a few minutes later, when air because an immediate necessity. Some time during it, Nick had ended up in Jeff's lap, but neither were sure how, nor did they care.

Nick pressed his forehead to Jeff's, looking into his brown eyes. Both boys were flushed and out of breath, but incredibly, incredibly happy.

"Now what?" Jeff breathed, his smile matching Nick's.

"What does it matter? We've got time to figure it out."

* * *

><p>OH snap! She did it! Cadet Eyes has actually finished a story! Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, kicked my butt into gear, and is still here to read this last chapter so long after it was last updated. You are all the best.<p>

May the force be with you

~Cadet Eyes


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